It is common to use a vehicle to transport heavy loads. It is also common to use a primary vehicle to transport a load in the form of a secondary vehicle. When the secondary vehicle is a motorized vehicle such as an ATV, motorcycle, or snow mobile, the secondary vehicle may be too heavy to be lifted onto the primary vehicle by hand.
The present invention is of particular significance when the primary vehicle is a pickup truck and the cargo is one or more ATVs, and the present invention will be described herein in that context. However, the present invention may have application to primary vehicles other than pickup trucks and to loads other than motorized secondary vehicles such as an ATV.
Ramps may be used to allow a secondary vehicle to be driven onto the bed of a pickup truck. However, the bed of a pickup truck defines a relatively small useable surface area for supporting a secondary vehicle. Accordingly, a carrier platform may be supported above the bed of the pickup truck. The carrier platform extends beyond the bed of the pickup truck to provide sufficient useable surface area for two secondary vehicles such as ATV's to be carried in a side-by-side orientation. Side-by-side ATV carriers require the use of a steep ramp to allow onloading and offloading of the ATV's. Further, when not in use, the side-by-side ATV carrier extends significantly beyond the side of the pickup truck.
The need exists for improved load platforms that facilitate the onloading and offloading of loads on vehicles.